Paternal Age and Offspring School Performance
Author Information
Author(s): Anna C. Svensson, Kathryn Abel, Christina Dalman, Cecilia Magnusson
Primary Institution: Karolinska Institutet
Hypothesis
Does advancing paternal age affect offspring school performance?
Conclusion
Advancing paternal age is not associated with poorer school performance in adolescence.
Supporting Evidence
- Offspring of fathers aged 50 years or older had on average 0.3 points higher grades than those of fathers aged 30–34 years.
- The study included a total of 136,820 individuals after exclusions for missing data.
- Adjustment for parental education significantly reduced the negative effect of young paternity on school performance.
Takeaway
This study found that older dads don't make their kids do worse in school. In fact, kids of older dads might even do a little better.
Methodology
A record-linkage study analyzing school grades of all individuals in Stockholm County who finished 9 years of compulsory school from 2000 to 2007.
Potential Biases
Potential confounding factors related to parental socioeconomic status and psychiatric service use.
Limitations
The study only included data from pupils in the regular school system, excluding those with severe intellectual disabilities.
Participant Demographics
Participants were adolescents from Stockholm County who completed compulsory schooling between 2000 and 2007.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% CI −3.8, 4.4
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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